Adventist Health Castle | Windward Health | Winter 2019

BY MELE POCHEREVA THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT at Adventist Health Castle receives more than 33,000 patient visits each year. That number’s rising steadily as Windward O‘ahu’s population swells. Better care is built in To better serve this vital and growing community need, Castle completed an extensive $7.5 million renovation of the Emergency Department (ED) in 2016. We increased capacity by 50 percent and reconfigured the expanded space to allow for more efficient workflow and technology upgrades. The number of emergency beds grew from 18 to 25. New beds include specialty rooms for cardiac, OB-GYN and eye emergencies; a Meet Martti, a multilingual master Communication between a patient and his or her medical team is an important part of patient care and positive outcomes. In an emergency, when time is of the essence, bridging a language gap takes on additional urgency. Hawai‘i’s multiethnic culture and growing immigrant population with limited English language proficiency make Martti an essential resource for Adventist Health Castle and its patients. Martti—My Accessible Real-Time Trusted Interpreter—is a two-way interpretation service designed for the health care industry. At the push of a button, patients have on-demand access to a network of certified medical interpreters and more than 250 languages, including American sign language, to assist them. That means patients can be seen and treated without additional wait times due to language barriers. And they can be more at ease knowing their medical needs are understood. Filling a need for trauma care WITHIN THE NEXT TWO YEARS, Adventist Health Castle hopes to bring an important resource to Windward O‘ahu families as a nationally designated Level III Trauma Center. With the growing number of trauma patients arriving at the Emergency Department in recent years, such a designation enables Castle to add personnel and facilities to care for more such patients, explains Sarah Janoian, BSN, RN, CNOR, Castle’s new trauma program coordinator. “Rather than having to transport critically injured patients to a trauma facil- ity in town, such a facility in Windward O‘ahu would enable us to provide patients a higher level of care within their own community— and hopefully benefit patient outcomes—while relieving some of the trauma patient overload at other hospitals,” says Janoian. “It also will be more convenient for patients’ families to be involved in the care, closer to home.” Castle began a feasibility study with the state of Hawai‘i over a year ago, working with a con- sultant who helps hospitals become trauma- designated facilities. “There are many people helping in this endeavor, and many more will join in the month ahead,” Janoian says. From physicians and nursing staff to quality assurance, facilities and financial management, all are working toward the common goal to deliver safe, evidence-based, quality care to Windward O‘ahu trauma patients. dedicated trauma bay; and a stand- alone behavioral health area with three rooms—all of which are equipped with state-of-the-art medical technology. And the ED’s negative pressure room allows patients with contagious respiratory infections or contamination by dangerous substances to be safely isolated and treated. At the heart of the department is a team of board-certified emergency physicians who provide 24-hour coverage and a highly qualified nursing staff, whose minimum professional requirements include certifications in stroke care, advanced life support and pediatric advanced life support. With specialty physicians on call, Windward residents are in good CLOSE TO HOME Emergency care hands when they arrive at Castle’s ED. The pursuit of excellence is one of Castle’s core values, along with respect, integrity and compassion. Dianna Motley, RN, BSN, MHRM, manager of Castle’s Emergency Department, has more than 14 years of experience working in emergency departments and trauma centers but has never seen any other hospital put quality at the forefront of care like Castle does. “We are constantly working on improvements,” Motley says. “Even though our department exceeds national standards and benchmarks in so many areas, we always strive to do better. That’s what I love about Castle!” Fast care A significant part of a patient’s ED experience is the time it takes to receive care. In 2017, Castle’s ED had shorter wait times in two out of three categories, compared to national averages. The department also prides itself on having the best “door-to- doctor” time in the state, and an overall patient satisfaction ranking in the nation’s top quartile.